San Antonio College Library

Chasing Perfection with host Michael Johnson, an Olympic gold medalist, explores how changes in science have impacted the world of professional sports. Johnson examines the role new technology plays in developing exceptional athletes. In part two of this two-part series, Johnson explores the difference between those who line up on the start line and those who end up on the podium time and time again- serial champions.

"The sports industry is large, visible, and growing -- and it has a huge impact on society. That's obvious to die-hard fans who not only watch sporting events but buy everything from balls to ties to paperweights with their favorite team's logo. But even sports haters can't escape the onslaught of professional sports: They are asked to chip in as taxpayers to build public stadiums, and their children are, like it or not, exposed to events sponsored...

The modern game of tennis can be traced back to 18th-century France, where it was once played using bare hands instead of rackets. An overview of the game is provided in this program, with information on techniques, terminology, types of racquets and tennis shoes, categories, and variations of the field of play according to International Tennis Federation rules. Viewers learn details such as what constitutes a set, and the serve, forehand drive, backhand...

Why would a Japanese millionaire want to buy the Seattle Mariners baseball team, when he has admitted that he has never played in or even seen a baseball game? Cash is the answer: major league baseball, like professional football, basketball, and hockey, is now big business with the potential to bring millions of dollars in profits to owners. Not very long ago, however, buying a sports franchise was a hazardous investment risked only by die-hard fans...

Badminton gets its name from the country estate of a 19th-century British duke who had learned a version of the game in India and enjoyed playing it with friends at home. This program explains how to play badminton, including the use of the carbon fiber racket and other equipment, the clothing worn by players, the field of play, and basic terminology. Viewers learn that players can now score a point whenever they win a rally, as well as the difference...

A clever mind game may help you score a birdie!

Unlike so many other cities around the country, Columbus citizens gave a firm "no" to the proposal that public money be used to build an arena to attract an expansion professional hockey team and a soccer stadium to keep a professional franchise. Yet, both structures are now a permanent part of Columbuss landscape. High Stakes is the inside story of how a coalition of the city's movers and shakers successfully did an end-run around the electorate...

In this edition of Moyers & Company, Dave Zirin, sports correspondent for The Nation, joins Bill to discuss the intersection of sports, politics, and greed. Should college athletes get paid? Should taxpayers bankroll new stadiums that benefit wealthy team owners? The vast gap between sports tycoons and the everyday fans who shell out hard-earned cash to watch their athlete heroes is yet another reflection of the gross inequality between the 1 percent...

Study of collective bargaining in the sports industry in the USA - discusses how professional athletes' trade unions bargained or went on strike for wage increases, old age benefit, more advantageous labour contracts, etc.; describes trade union attitudes to drug testing and penal sanctions for violence; discusses these in relation to baseball, football, basketball and hockey. References, statistical tables.